If you're new to cake baking, you're probably still learning techniques, because every type of cake has its own little details. Today we're sharing some not-so-secret tips for baking a perfect cake.
What Each Ingredient Does
Wheat flour
Flour for cakes should have about 7–9% protein, be fine and white, and have been bleached with chlorine. Bleaching makes the flour better suited to cakes by helping it absorb more water, sugar and fat. Flour gives the cake its structure and helps bind the other ingredients together.
Sugar
Sugar sweetens the cake and also makes it soft, because it tenderises the flour proteins. It helps the cake keep longer, since sugar retains moisture well, and gives the cake an attractive colour. Most cakes use fine granulated sugar, and some use brown sugar.
Four factors affect how well sugar dissolves during mixing:
- Mixing time
- Sugar crystal size
- The amount of moisture in the mixture
- The temperature during mixing
Fat
Fat traps air while the cake batter is mixed. The air held by the fat during beating does more to make the cake tender than the fat itself, though all fats help make bakes soft. The usual fat in cakes is butter, which has the best flavour of all baking fats but low shortening value: it's heavy when mixed, doesn't cream smoothly and often doesn't combine well. Cakes made with butter alone tend to have less volume and a coarser crumb than cakes made with high-quality shortening, which creams well but lacks butter's flavour. That's why cakes often use half butter and half margarine or shortening: the butter provides flavour, while the shortening helps with mixing and volume. Margarine, shortening and oil are also important fats for keeping the cake moist.
Salt
Salt adds flavour to cakes, providing saltiness and bringing out the flavours of the other ingredients. It also helps firm the cake, because salt affects the gluten in wheat flour and so contributes to the cake's structure.
Eggs
Eggs provide structure, flavour, colour, moisture and nutrition. The structure comes from egg proteins setting during baking, and eggs trap air during beating, making cakes such as sponge cake rise.
Milk
Milks commonly used in cakes are fresh milk, evaporated milk and milk powder.
Milk powder adds structure and richness, but also makes the cake firmer and drier, because it binds with the flour proteins and sets. Milk powder also helps colour the cake's surface, because it contains lactose, and it adds flavour and retains moisture well.
Leavening agents
Leavening agents make cakes soft. The type used depends on the kind of cake you're making. Cakes generally rise in three ways:
- Air
- Chemical leaveners, such as baking powder or bicarbonate of soda
- Steam pressure created while the cake is in the oven
Liquids
Liquids in cake recipes may be milk, water or eggs, or come from other moist ingredients. Moisture does many jobs in a cake: it dissolves sugar, forms gluten, activates the baking powder, and helps control the consistency and temperature of the batter. It also makes the cake tender.
Flavourings and spices
These are added to give a cake a particular flavour. Choose flavourings that suit the type of cake you're making.
The Separated-Egg Method
This is a popular method for butter cakes because it gives good volume. Cream the butter and sugar at medium speed for about 10–15 minutes until fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating until combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the liquid, beating at low speed, then add flavouring and mix. Whip the egg whites with cream of tartar to soft peaks, gradually add the sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Gently fold this into the batter until combined.
Signs of a Good Cake
- The outer crust is an even golden yellow or light brown.
- The colour of the crumb matches the ingredients; for example, a chocolate cake should be brown.
- The edges are smooth and even.
- The top is shiny and smooth, without lumps or bumps.
- The rise matches the amount of carbon dioxide produced, and the cake feels light for its size.
- The crumb is fine, not dense or heavy, and moist without being crumbly or soggy.
- It is soft and tender, springing back when touched lightly, with a light crumb and an appetising aroma.
- The flavour is well-rounded and true to its ingredients, without off-flavours such as bitterness or blandness.
- It has an appetising aroma with no rancid smell.
